Corset-boning implement



(No Model.)

JQA. HOUSE. CORSET BONING IMPLEMENT.

Patented May 24, 1892.

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PATENT Fries.

JAMES ALFORD HOUSE, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

.CORSET-BONING IMPLEMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 475,562, dated May 24, 1892.

Application filed December 14, 1891. Serial No. 414,932. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES ALFORD HOUSE, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corset-Boning Iniplements; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has reference to certain new and useful improvements in implements for inserting into corsets the bones, steels, or horn strips which furnish stiffness and elasticity to the garment.

It is the present practice in boning corsets to first open the bone-pockets, which are formed by lines of stitching extending across the corset-section from top to bottom, as seen at Fig. 1. This is accomplished by inserting through the pocket a long awl or wire to separate the plies and then withdrawing it. The bone, steel, or horn strip is then worked into the opened pocket by hand, and as its length is required to lie entirely within the pocket, so as to admit of binding or edge-stitching, the bone is finally pushed into place with a short wire or red. The method just described is slow and unsatisfactory; and as the ends of the steels or bones are seldom smooth they frequently catch upon the inside of the pocket.

It is the object of my invention to provide an implement whereby, as with the old awl, the pockets may be effectually opened, but whereby, as it is withdrawn, the bone or horn strip may be seated accurately in the pocket, and thus do away entirely with the working in of the bones as now practiced.

In order that those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains may fully ununderstand its operation and the constructions which I prefer to employ, I will describe the same in detaihreference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 shows one form of my invention inserted in a bone-pocket and ready to draw the bone backward into position. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section. Fig. 3 is a detail of the casing; Fig. 4, a detail plan of the lever; Fig. 5, a detail of the wire-holding clamp.

For clearness of illustration the thickness of the body of the tool is somewhat exaggerated in Fig.2. Its diameter-in practice is not far from an eighth of an inch.

Like numerals denote the same parts in each of the figures.

A denotes a handle, to which the several parts of the tool are secured. Ashell or casing 1 is attached to the end of the handle, and from the end of said casing projects a tube 2, preferably round or oval, of small diameter and of, say, a foot in length. The outer end of this tube is preferably rounded, as shown, to facilitate its entrance between the plies, which form the pocket. Inside the tube lie two small parallel wires 3, whose outer ends project slightly beyond the end of the tube and terminate in small curved jaws 4, which are incapable of entirely entering the open end of the tube. The rear ends of these wires enter the casing and by means of a clampingscrew 5 are secured to a block 6, whose rear end is perforated, as seen at 7, Fig. 5. An operating-lever S is seated transverselyin the casing, as will readily be understood from Figs. 2, 3, and 4, and passes through the block. A spiral spring 9 serves to retain the lever in the position shown at Fig. 2, and constantly tends to draw the wires and their jaws inward, whereby the end of the tube presses the jaws together.

In operating upon a corset the end of the tube is-inserted into the pocket and then pushed through it, as seen at Fig. 1. This opens the pocket in the same manner as the awl now commonlyin use. By a slight movement of the lever in the direction of the arrow the Wires are now forced outward in the tube, permitting the jaws to spring slightly apart. A bone, steel, or horn strip is then inserted between them and the lever released, which causes the wires to recede and the jaws to grasp the bone. The implement is then withdrawn out of the pocket, pulling thebone after it until the latter lies properly in the pocket, when another movement will release the hold of the jaws and the tool passes out of the pocket, leaving the bone within.

The details of construction I do not deem essential,and they may be freely varied without departing from the essentials of my invention as set forth in the clauses of claims here following.

I elaim- 1. In an implement for boning corsets, the combination, with a suitable handle A, of a tubular body projecting outward from said handle and having a slotted casing at its rear end, a pair of wires extending through the body and having protrudable jaws closed by the outer end thereof, a wire-actuating lever engaging the rear ends of the wires and projecting laterally outward through the slot in said casing, and a spring located within the casing and operating against the lever to withdraw the wires and close the jaws, substantially as specified.

2. In an implement of the character described, the handle A and the slotted casing 20 JAMES ALFORD HOUSE. Witnesses:

S. H. HUBBARD, A. J. TANNER. 

